Published January 1st 2019 by Twenty-First Century Books
I've read a fair number of books about minimalism and simplicity so the content here wasn't anything I haven't seen elsewhere. So how does this book stand out from the rest? First, Living Simply is aimed at teenagers. I love that! The teen years are a perfect time to make decisions about how you want to live your life, before getting bogged down in all the stuff and bad habits. McGraw has done a nice job of covering the bases of living a simpler life, focusing not only on the physical "stuff" but also discussing the environmental and social impact of our daily choices, giving the reader a more global view of the part they play in the state of the world.
Thank you to Lerner Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Expected publication: March 5th 2019 by Shadow Mountain
I thoroughly enjoyed traveling along with the Ortons on their family adventure! Erik, Emily and their five children decide to learn to sail and this leads eventually to the purchase of a catamaran they rename Fezywig and a 5,000 mile adventure lasting nearly a year. Not every couple, let alone a family this size, could stand so much closeness; this family not only survives intact but grows through the shared experience and trials and joys along the way. The reader is treated to the whole experience, both the highs and lows. The Ortons travel to some amazing places, but also get stuck waiting on boat repairs and weather and have to rethink their plans and expectations. Through this process, they all learn to slow down and take life as it comes. There is no sugarcoating here. Life on a boat can be dangerous, but without risk, there is no reward. Living the life of a cruiser is not for everyone, but this family inspires with their willingness to break out of the mold and try on a new lifestyle.
Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
I didn't realize this was the fourth book in a series when I requested it. Usually I don't jump in mid-stream but I'm glad I goofed and did this time because otherwise I would have missed this series. While I think reading the prior books first would provide more background on some of the characters and fill in a few holes, this book stood on its own pretty well. A mysterious town in the middle of nowhere in the Yukon full of mysterious residents was intriguing. Having driven the Alcan when moving from Alaska, I know just how empty so much of this area is and how easy it would be to hide out there. I really enjoyed the characters and I've already put a hold on the first book in the series at my local library to fill in those holes.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
I was really looking forward to this book. Having read and loved Harper's previous two books centered around Aaron Falk, I wasn't sure how this one would be as a stand-alone book. Happily, I was not disappointed. While I think I enjoyed the Falk books slightly more, I really enjoyed this one as well and would definitely recommend all three. The Lost Man unfolds slowly, but not in a bad way. The reader gets to know this family as secrets are revealed. As a reader of mostly nonfiction, there aren't many authors I really look forward to new books, but Jane Harper has won me over as a true fan.
The interview with the author and narrator at the end of the audiobook is a nice addition. Well worth a listen!
Mini Meadows by Mike Lizotte, Expected publication: February 19th 2019 by Storey Publishing, LLC
Beautiful photos and great information that even a beginner gardener can follow to create their own mini meadow. I've been looking for a way to make my own small property lower maintenance and I think this is the perfect solution. I've wanted a more natural landscape since my area is very hot and dry in the summers; keeping grass alive is a battle. I actually made a half-hearted attempt last year with wildflower seed, but now I see I went about it all wrong. I can't wait to turn my "hellstrip" and the hilly portion of my yard into lovely patches of wildflowers!
Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful book! All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.
Published February 12th 2019 by Rockport Publishers
Printmaking has always fascinated me, but I've not yet tried it myself. In Block Print Magic, Howard has covered all the tools necessary and outlined all the steps clearly to enable the reader to successfully get started and improve their skills in this craft. I love that she has included several DIY instructions for making some of the tools needed since a new hobby can be cost-prohibitive. Projects are clearly explained using both written instruction and numerous photos for easy follow-along. The included artist spotlights were a perfect addition, featuring some of the artists for whom printmaking is a passion. This book would be a great resource for anyone interested in printmaking!
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Rockport Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Something a little different today. Not a book, but a documentary film.
I'm Fine, Thanks A feature-length documentary about a crew of filmmakers who criss-crossed the country talking to every day people about how they fell into lives of complacency (and most importantly, what they did to change their lives and create their own paths to happiness). (2012)
I actually watched this one back when it was first released in 2012 (or soon after anyway), but watched it again over the weekend. While this isn't my favorite documentary focused on people simplifying their lives, it is definitely worth a watch. Books and documentaries of this type always make me take a step back and look at my own life, questioning if I'm making the choices necessary to live the life I truly want... or am I just slogging through, doing what I'm supposed to do? One of my best decisions in the past several years was quitting a crap job with a horrible boss that all but outright demanded ridiculous overtime, opting for a company that never asks for overtime. While those overtime paychecks were nice, I didn't really have time to do much more than just use the money to pay down my mortgage. Paying off my home faster was a very good thing, but working 60-80 hours a week don't leave much time for anything else. I'm much happier working fewer hours and having less responsibility (and stress). I regularly dream of ditching the house and hitting the road on my own terms and I enjoy watching/reading about others questioning their current lifestyle and making changes (if necessary) to live a life more in line with their values. Live your own life, not one society has told you is the way to live.
The film can be found in multiple places, including available for purchase at the link above. I watched on Kanopy, accessed through my local library system. =)
Whimsical Cross-stitch by Cari Buziak, Expected publication: February 13th 2019 by Dover Publications
A super cute collection of cross-stitch designs! Designs are grouped in the following categories: animals (real and fantasy), dashing designs, home and hearth, nature in bloom and special occasions. As expected in this type of book, the basics of cross-stitch are covered before getting into the designs and many designs would be easily stitchable by a newbie, but there are also designs that would present more challenge. Charts are clearly done. I found quite a few designs I'd love to stitch for myself and for gifts.
Thank you to Dover Publications and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Published June 1st 2017 by Tantor Audio (first published May 29th 2017)
Ah, I love happening across a title from a basic search in a library database that I'd likely never have come across otherwise. Psychology/sociology and travel... what's not to love?
"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." -Anonymous
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The included questionnaires were fun and enlightening, including not only figuring out your personality traits, your comfort zone and your own recipe for happy travels, but also for determining if a potential travel partner will make the trip better... or more stressful.
Will a last-minute surprise trip make you happier than one you get to plan and look forward to? Will an overall pleasant trip make you happier than one with highs and lows? Will a longer vacation really make you happier? Should you squeeze out every last minute of vacation or factor in a buffer to ease back into real life? Should you plan one big blow-out vacation or several smaller ones? Yep, she addresses all of these.
Years ago, I worked a job that had me on the road about 95% of the time and regularly flew round-trip every 2-3 weeks, staying in hotels in cities I didn't choose, sometimes at the worst time of year for that area (think Arizona in the summer), but overall I look back at that time with fondness and miss constantly getting to experience new places and meet new people. While these weren't "vacations", I did get to check out local attractions on my off time. There were definite highs (seeing Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, watching the Olympic gold medal swimming relay race standing in Times Square - so surreal, no one moved the entire time except to cheer or boo depending who was ahead at each turn) and certainly some lows (the Thanksgiving morning I flew home to find the airport hadn't lost my bags, but they had lost my car - yes, really, my car*). The author explains how we tend to rewrite the bad things that happen to make ourselves feel better and often, we get a good story out of it to boot. Hearing about someone's perfect trip is much less entertaining than hearing about the goof-ups and missteps.
We don't even have to plan a trip away to put some more excitement into our lives. Why not be a tourist at home? I loved Kurtz's suggestion of pretending you'll be leaving the area where you currently live in 30 days. What would you miss not having seen? Go! We all tend to think we have more time to do things. There are no guarantees. I don't know how many times I would be chatting with hotel staff, talking about where I was heading and discovering they had never been there or didn't know about monthly activity deals in their own city (many offer free admission to museums periodically). Check out a guide book to your own city and see what you're missing and inject more adventure into your daily life!
*I laugh now, but at the time it wasn't the most entertaining way to spend several hours on a holiday after being away for 3 weeks! I flew in/out of the Indianapolis IN airport and when I flew out, I parked in long-term parking as usual. Knowing that the old airport would be closing and the newly built airport would be opening while I was gone, I asked about the parking and was assured all would be fine. You see where this is going, yes? I fly back in on Thanksgiving morning, go to take the shuttle to my car and ask the driver to be sure it would go to the old lot. Nope! So back off the shuttle (with all my luggage) and inside to the information desk where they say no, there are no cars in the old lot. They moved the cars that were still there. My car? Not on the list. They asked if it was really old because sometimes people wold steal cars and dump them in long-term parking where they wouldn't be discovered quickly. Um, older but not so old. I ended up in a van with a nice guy from the parking authority who drove me to the old lot - no car - then to the tow company that moved the cars - no car. A couple phone calls and lots of waiting later... they found my car! Where was it? In the garage directly outside the airport entrance. LOL Someone had messed up and left it off the list when they towed it there. He said, no worries, we won't charge you for parking. Gee, thanks, I didn't pay for parking myself, my company did. But honestly? Everyone has a lost bag story... how many people have a lost car story from the airport? =)
Published February 5th 2019 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
I love seeing people of all sizes being confident in who they are. I was happy to see a wide variety of people represented in these pages and have quite a few additions to my social media feeds. Along with photos, the reader is treated to a bit from each participant about their personal style. I found this book well put together and a joy to peruse.
Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this inspiring book in exchange for my honest review.
While this book doesn't cover every plant or tree in my yard, I did learn what I've been doing wrong with a few of them! This book covers 50 common plants and trees and includes information on formative pruning, routine pruning and remedial pruning for each. There is also a useful table listing when to prune various species, plants requiring little or no pruning and hedging plants. This will be a very handy reference.
Thank you to the author Steven Bradley, Timber Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.
Published February 5th 2019 by Race Point Publishing
I'm a huge fan of Asian foods and was excited to see this book coming out. I was especially excited to see a section in the book of vegetable hot pot recipes since I choose not to consume animal products.
A note to vegetarians and vegans, most of the recipes included here do include pork, chicken/duck, beef and/or seafood, though these are in specified chapters aside from the section with the broths and sauces. I did find a good number of broth and sauce recipes that did not call for animal products, though some recipes in the vegetable hot pot section call for broths that do contain animal products. This is something to watch for. I do think some substitutions could be made in some of these recipes to eliminate the animal products, though it would obviously impact flavors.
In addition to the various hot pot recipes, there are also sections for side dishes and desserts. The photography throughout is done well, making the food enticing. Though this book isn't a perfect fit for me, I'm so glad I got a chance to review it and I do have a few recipes I'll be trying out soon.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Race Point Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
